This invention relates generally to improvements in methods and apparatus for organizing coupons and, more particularly, to a new and improved organizing system and apparatus for facilitating the selection of food coupons according to the expiration date and type of merchandise.
During recent decades, the cost of living has been constantly on the increase. As with other consumer items, the cost of food products has also increased. This fact and the fact that food is one of the necessities of life has placed great emphasis upon cost savings in the purchase of food. This emphasis has resulted in the popularity of food coupons which are slips of paper redeemed at a food market at the time of purchase, to reduce the purchase price of the food item. These coupons are often used by the retailer or manufacturer as a marketing tool to increase the sales of designated merchandise by discounting the purchase price. The manufacturer may be introducing a new product on the market or trying to increase the sales of a particular item which has been overstocked. In addition, retailers often use coupons to attract buyers to their markets and consequently increase the sales of other non-discounted items.
Expiration dates are usually placed on the coupons to temporarily limit the discount offer. Some reasons for the use of expiration dates include an attempt to correlate the demand of the item to the supply on hand of the particular merchandise and/or to raise the price of the item after the consumers have been introduced to a new product.
Coupons are frequently distributed to the public through magazines or newspapers and local newspapers often have specific days of the week or sections of the newspaper which have a relatively large number of coupons. Because of the variety and number of coupons available to be collected by the consumer, the consumer frequently finds it difficult to organize the coupons for quick reference according to their particular expiration dates, product types or retailer. As a result, the consumer may fail to use the particular coupon before it expires.
For these reasons, consumers who use coupons have long recognized the need for an improved coupon organizing system that enables a quick reference to and selection of food coupons which have been accumulated by the consumer. The present invention fulfills all of these needs.